Screw Eat, Pray Love! Esme Oliver vows to SMOKE DRINK and F * # K her way to happiness. Newly-dumped, staring headlong into the barrel of her fortieth birthday, and veering towards a nervous breakdown, Esme heads to Italy for two weeks of carnal excess aimed at distracting from a life that is crumbling all around her. It is there that she meets the much younger Fernando, an Italian stallion who appears to be just the diversion Esme’s looking for. Only problem is they fall in love. Or so Esme thinks.

Based on a true story, SMOKE DRINK F * # K , winner, Best Memoir, of the Southwest Writer’s Competition is the hilarious, outlandish and inspiring story of one fed-up woman’s journey from desperation to liberation. As she finds and loses love, uncovers what it really means to be independent, and discovers why, as she says, no amount of praying does as much as one great f * # k.

Esme Oliver has worked as an attorney, a health-care lobbyist, and a legislative director for two US Senators; work which sharpened her left brain but didn’t quite fulfill her soul. Esme eventually left DC for her native Midwest, where she now writes grants (for money) and stories (for fun). She enjoys lots of travel and a long list of other activities that pair well with a nice Pinot.

“I wrote the book to reach women my age who were dating and not having a lot of success,” explained Oliver. “I thought this might help them. I also wrote it to show how despite heartbreaking pain, there is always light on the other side and at least for me, the pleasure was worth the pain.”

“Romance novels usually have protagonists aged 27 years old, but the average age of a romance reader is 42,” said Publisher Lori Perkins. “We want to make these books more relatable to the real romance reader. I find that the older women get, the wiser they get. Smoke Drink F*#k is just that.”